THE CRUISE SHIP AFFAIR: A twist of love and murder

First Death

“What do you mean you just saw her dead in the bathroom?" Mr. Phillips asked, shouting. Mr. Philips was among the thirty billionaires who had come to enjoy themselves on the ship.

"I don’t know, I just saw her in one of the general bathrooms covered in blood," Mrs. Backstone said as she felt like crying because everyone was giving her a suspicious eye.

Anne’s body lay in the middle of the room, still covered in blood.

“Maybe it was a suicide," Daniel, the mysterious man, said.

“Or maybe it was murder," Federick said.

“But if it was murder, then someone is the killer amongst us," Lord West, a British billionaire, said.

“Maybe I should just call the police," Mr. Martinez said, dialing a number on his phone.

“I may have done a few arrangements before we came into the ship," Mr. Cartwright confessed. “I made sure there would be no police coming for us, and no one would be made to disturb us because we were having a good time.

“Why will you do such a thing, Mr. Martinez? Are you the killer?" Victoria asked.

“What? No, I just made sure that nobody would be disturbing us," Mr. Cartwright said, trying to defend himself, but in a few minutes, many people began throwing questions at him, accusing him of being the killer.

Quinn rubbed her head. This was really not the holiday she had planned for.

“Silence, everyone! First, before we start pointing fingers at who did or did not kill someone, we have to know what caused Anne’s death; we have to figure out if it is a murder or a suicide," Quinn announced, and everyone’s attention was on her.

“Mrs. Backstone, you said you found Anne’s body in the bathroom, so who brought her here?”

“I did and I can tell that it is a murder," Dr. Chase, the world's most famous doctor, said. “Don’t worry, I wore some of my gloves; I didn’t ruin evidence or something.”

“First, I need everyone to go to their rooms and calm down," Quinn said.

“What do you mean by calm down? Why are you so calm anyway, Quinn? Are you the killer?" Oprah asked. It was obvious to Quinn that Oprah was trying hard to hide her smile, but Quinn was not going to give her the satisfaction she needed.

“I think it's better everyone stays in their rooms; if this is a murder, then there is certainly a killer amongst us, and we have to stay safe, lock your rooms, and don’t allow anyone to come in," Quinn said.

“Well, this is interesting," Emily, who had not said anything since, said. She had been reading her book while every other person was panicking, and now she decided to speak. “So you guys are capable of feeling scared? Most of you guys are just plainly rude and deserve the death Anne got, and before you guys start pointing fingers at me like I am the killer, you will need concrete evidence to show that I am the killer. But you all should better change your attitude or the killer will have you next”, she added, as she continued to read her book.

Judging from people’s facial expressions, ninety percent of them looked very worried, and they had every right to be because they were in for a bumpy ride.

Quinn did not mind that Federick and Kennedy’s eyes were on her; she went outside to receive fresh air, and she was not surprised when she saw Federick come outside to meet her.

“Hey Quinn, I hope you slept well," Federick said.

“Yes, I did. Sorry for stressing you out last night," Quinn said.

“Stressing me? No way. The only thing stressing me now is that someone is dead and I am on the same ship with a killer, Federick said.

“How are you so sure it's a killer?" Quinn asked.

“My guts tell me so; they are never wrong," he replied. “If it helps, I do not think you are the killer.”

“It is not really advisable to jump to such conclusions, you know," Quinn said, smiling dryly.

“I know you are worried about the killing and also about that Kennedy guy. I can’t help with the killing for sure, but I can help with the Kennedy guy. What has he done to you? The look of resentment you have in your eyes when you look at him, and the way he looks at you like he is searching for an opportunity to slip back into your life so he can hurt you again”, Federick said.

All Quinn could do was smile dryly. All Kennedy had ever done to her was lie to her and behave like he cared. Now he was indeed trying to come into her life once again, and she almost fell for it; she almost let her guards down. If she had, he would have probably hurt her like before.

“You could be right," Quinn said, the cool breeze from the sea hitting her harshly. The memories of all that had happened flooded her mind, and it stung her eyes, making her want to cry. But does she want this man she barely knew to see her in a vulnerable state?

“Do you mind telling me some things he did to you?" Federick asked.

“He lied to me a lot, cheated on me with my best friend, and treated me like I meant nothing to him," Quinn said. She was on the verge of breaking down. She could not tell Federick all that Kennedy had done to her in detail because it would be surprising that a good-looking man could do all those harsh things to her.

“And let me guess, he was not repentant about it," Federick said. “He is still with her. I just know she was your best friend because of the way she treats you, like she is your sworn enemy who has known you your whole life. I see the way she and that Kennedy dude still laugh together, and he would look at you with dreamy eyes but still have s*x with your ex best friend at night—God, I am sorry," Federick said, fighting his own tears, which was not successful because he started to clean them out when they poured out.

The words Federick spoke cut deep into Quinn’s chest. It was very possible he was still having s*x with Oprah while claiming he still had feelings for her; after all, he was engaged to Oprah. What had she done to deserve such ill treatment from him?

But then, she did not understand why Federick was crying and became concerned about him. “Why are you crying, Federick?" she asked, rubbing his back softly as though he were a child.

“Because I know how it feels to be cheated on, my ex-girlfriend told me that she loved me, she showered me with gifts, and she stood by me at my worst, but that was all a pretense. After two years, she stole most of my money and ran away, and because I still had a soft spot for her, I could not go after her. So I hate it when I see people’s partners acting all lovey-dovey around them while they are still betraying them. It really stinks. If you need my help getting revenge back on him or if you need help feeling better, I will be here. Okay?”

Quinn promised herself that one day she would tell people the details of what Kennedy and Oprah had done to her because it was much worse than what Federick’s ex did to him, something that cannot even be compared. But for now, she had to make Federick feel better; she did not like to see him cry because he was trying to make her feel better.

“You know what? I think I need your help to make me feel better—something you too will enjoy, and I want it right here. Right now.”